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Big Shanty Elementary School

Q: Is Big Shanty Elementary School a good school?

Big Shanty Elementary School ranks 412 th of 1238 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

412^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,238 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Big Shanty Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Kennesaw, Georgia, serving grades 3-5 with a total enrollment of 545 students. The school is part of the Cobb County School District, which is ranked 54th out of 206 districts in Georgia and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Big Shanty Elementary School has shown mixed performance on the Milestones Assessment compared to the Cobb County and Georgia averages, with its 5th-grade ELA and Math scores above the state average but its 3rd and 4th-grade scores generally lower than the county and state averages, the school has a relatively high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 45.27% to 53.39% over the past few years. This is higher than some of the nearby schools, such as Bullard Elementary (31.39%) and Kennesaw Elementary (56.6%). Additionally, Big Shanty Elementary School has a higher per-student spending compared to the nearby schools, with spending ranging from $10,570 to $11,901 per student over the past few years.

Despite these challenges, Big Shanty Elementary School has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.5 to 12.5 students per teacher, which is lower than some of the nearby schools. This could be a strength, as it may allow for more individualized attention and support for students. However, the school may need to focus on improving its lower-grade performance to ensure a more consistent academic achievement across all grade levels.

511

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,668

Per pupil spending ?

50.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1575 Ben King Rd NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144

(678) 594-8023

District: Cobb County

Students who attend Big Shanty Elementary School usually attend:

High:

North Cobb High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.1%

African American:

30.7%

Hispanic:

25.4%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Big Shanty Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 71st percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the Georgia median (67th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school46%

District avg49%

Georgia avg42%

412^th of 1,238

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 29% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

29^th of 64Elementary Schools in the Cobb County

54^th of 206Cobb County among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	62.1	412 of 1238	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.7	369 of 1248	70.4%	★★★★☆
2023	67.1	371 of 1242	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	443 of 1244	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	480 of 1214	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	432 of 1234	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	482 of 1209	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.6	380 of 1205	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.5	443 of 1233	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.7	363 of 1240	70.7%	★★★★☆
2014	68.3	435 of 1231	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.0	406 of 1225	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.5	412 of 1201	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.8	350 of 1212	71.1%	★★★★☆
2010	69.5	382 of 1183	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.0	317 of 1133	72.0%	★★★★☆
2008	74.3	257 of 1134	77.3%	★★★★☆
2007	68.4	375 of 1125	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	72.8	298 of 1101	72.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics52%+6 vs state

Science43%~ state avg

English Language Arts42%+3 vs state

3.3

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 1, 2022

Please be an advocate for your children especially for your children with special needs. This school has failed to follow protocol and legal documents. They didn’t provide a safe education for my son. Nor do they have the tools and skills to deal with kids with special needs. The administration has failed at this school and something needs to be done. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, August 11, 2016

Teachers work hard to try and please a principal whose main focus is on making herself look good to her superiors. Very little evidence of an innovative instructional techniques that improve student achievement. She does not care about instruction, just making the outside of the building look good so she can show it off to others.

Most teachers care a great deal about their students, but they receive no support from an administration that completely ignores bullying behavior and tends to sweep problems under the rug.

Several teachers have come to me in the community and told me how they were driven out of the school by the unprofessionalism and poor judgment of the administration. All are much happier that they have left, but feel sorry for those teachers who remain.

The school would be a lot better without its current principal. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, September 24, 2012

This school has great teachers and a new administration. Big Shanty does a wonderful job of preparing students for middle school, with more Big Shanty students taking Advanced Content classes at Awtrey than students from the charter school, for example. Close Quote

Schools Near Big Shanty Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)			Milestones Assessment Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Big Shanty Elementary School	Public	3-5	1575 Ben King Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8023	511	45	11.3	50.9%	174 (34.1%)	157 (30.7%)	130 (25.4%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.8%)	62.1	412^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.7%		67.7	369^th of 1248 public elementary schools	70.4%	43	39.7	32.9	53.0	43.8	56.3	54.9	42.9	$18,668	$339	$18,329
Kennesaw Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	3155 Jiles Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8172	560	50	11.2	51.3%	198 (35.4%)	161 (28.8%)	118 (21.1%)	25 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.4%)								(n/a)								$20,203	$333	$19,870
Chalker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	325 N Booth Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7621	679	56	12.2	47.6%	290 (42.7%)	167 (24.6%)	133 (19.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.1%)	52.7	527^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.4%		57.2	475^th of 1248 public elementary schools	61.9%	52	34.8	48.1	39.4	42.3	47.2	38.8	38.8	$17,570	$317	$17,253
Baker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2361 Baker Rd NW	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 975-6629	738	67	11.0	49.3%	226 (30.6%)	233 (31.6%)	164 (22.2%)	47 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (8.8%)	56.1	486^th of 1238 public elementary schools	60.7%		70.8	336^th of 1248 public elementary schools	73.1%	150	36.2	39.0	45.1	43.1	47.9	46.8	42.6	$18,468	$340	$18,127
Pitner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4575 Wade Green Rd NW	Acworth	30102	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8320	802	63	12.7	56.5%	278 (34.7%)	222 (27.7%)	192 (23.9%)	35 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (9.0%)	47.8	595^th of 1238 public elementary schools	51.9%		59.3	460^th of 1248 public elementary schools	63.1%	135	39.5	39.2	35.0	48.2	51.4	31.4	29.3	$17,526	$385	$17,140
Bells Ferry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Bells Ferry Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8950	704	51	13.7	61.5%	150 (21.3%)	278 (39.5%)	144 (20.5%)	67 (9.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (8.9%)	45.4	622^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	49.8%		63.1	424^th of 1248 public elementary schools	66.0%	198	31.5	40.6	41.2	33.3	39.6	36.6	40.6	$16,682	$318	$16,364
Hayes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1501 Kennesaw Due West Rd NW	Kennesaw	30152	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8127	802	64	12.5	57.5%	227 (28.3%)	317 (39.5%)	153 (19.1%)	53 (6.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (6.2%)	53.2	524^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.7%		57.1	478^th of 1248 public elementary schools	61.7%	46	27.3	43.2	41.6	40.2	54.1	42.6	45.3	$17,454	$338	$17,116
Acworth Elementary School	Public	2-5	4220 Cantrell Rd NW	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 975-6600	499	46	10.8	69.1%	132 (26.5%)	155 (31.1%)	158 (31.7%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.0%)	55.5	495^th of 1238 public elementary schools	60.0%		57.7	473^rd of 1248 public elementary schools	62.1%	22	36.6	49.6	39.5	43.6	50.8	39.1	39.8	$20,313	$867	$19,446
Bullard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3656 Old Stilesboro Rd NW	Kennesaw	30152	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8720	799	63	12.6	27.9%	409 (51.2%)	147 (18.4%)	135 (16.9%)	40 (5.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (8.0%)	79.3	243^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	80.4%		73.1	300^th of 1248 public elementary schools	76.0%	57	61.6	54.7	54.9	56.8	67.2	47.5	52.5	$17,835	$352	$17,482
Blackwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3470 Canton Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7600	580	48	12.1	53.6%	247 (42.6%)	90 (15.5%)	147 (25.3%)	37 (6.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.5%)	54.4	507^th of 1238 public elementary schools	59.0%		54.9	506^th of 1248 public elementary schools	59.5%	1	40.9	39.2	42.0	50.5	45.4	40.2	38.4	$18,036	$316	$17,719

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Shanty Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Big Shanty Elementary School?

Students at Big Shanty Elementary School are 34% White, 31% African American, 25% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

Is Big Shanty Elementary School a good school?

Big Shanty Elementary School ranks 412^th of 1238 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Big Shanty Elementary School in?

Cobb County

What schools do graduates of Big Shanty Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Big Shanty Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : North Cobb High School

How many students attend Big Shanty Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 511 students attended Big Shanty Elementary School.

Rate Big Shanty Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.